I regained my composure as he took my hand, my fingers gripping tight to his warm digits, he drew me in quietly, the bell that dangled from my neck, a mark of both my loyalty and subservience to a man whom had claimed more than my heart, chimed with the step, he danced with me a moment... drawing me closer, letting me step away, and pulling me flush against his frame with a remark of amusement.

"Beautiful."

To the word he stated, I gave him a look of question, looking myself over I found that I was a decadent vision of contrasts, the deep purple of my sash, the dark blue of the cord that tied it around my trim waist, the elegance of the silvery-white kimono that flowed down my shoulders and spilled like water down at my feet, every movement and shuffle sending the silk rippling, a living work of art, as the shades made it seem like a flow of water over snowy clouds.

I stared at the dark ebony color of my tails, and paused a moment as he gathered up the loose strands of my hair, and lifted them to his nose, taking in the scent of the rose oil and lavender that had been in my bath... he took a small thong of leather from his own hair, and moved behind me, curious, I turned my head to look back and asked. "What are you doing?"

When I had finished the statement, he had tied the longer end of my hair, binding it to keep it from entangling and ensnaring within my tails, or being so cumbersome that I might trip over it, as I never cut it, and it flowed well beyond and behind me whenever I walked... blushing, I stared at the man whom had been thoughtful enough to prevent me from an undue embarrassment, smiling, I turned, cupped his chin, and drew him up to my height.

He kissed me, and I found myself all too eagerly returning the emotion and passion, with a heavy, breathy sigh. "...we should go...before they come looking for us..." with reluctance I drew back from him, only for him to take my arm and lead me out into the beauty of the Garden of Gods... the various elemental palaces pooling their powers together to one point in the center of the garden... where the deities were gathering, I was nervous... this would be the first, of many times I would be representing Juuouchou, my grandfather's Kingdom in the Makai.

It would be the first summit, in which I would be presented... as the Future King.